Parking Quiz Answer! When Is It Safe to Re-Park on the Same Block?

Just before lunch, we tried to stump you with this parking quiz question: You park in a spot with a sign posted that says, 2-Hour Limit, M-F, 9 am to 7 pm. It's 9 am. You move your car at 11am to another block. When are you safe to park on the original block again without fear of getting a ticket?

A) After 1 pmB) After 4 hoursC) After 7 pmD) After your odometer has moved one tenth of a mileE) After Midnight

The Answer is C) After 7 pm

If you didn't get it right, don't feel too bad, because there are many DPT officers who didn't know the answer either.

The DPT hymnal reads:For the purpose of Parking regulations...any vehicle moved a distance of not more than one block or one-tenth of a mile during the limited parking period shall be deemed to have remained stationary.

The tenth of a mile goes back to ancient days when they used to actually look inside your car and read your odometer. The pivotal phrase is "...during the limited parking period."

If you interpret "during the limited parking period" as the 2-hours written on the sign (meaning, two hours parked on that block, two hours off of that block, two hours back on that block), your logic would be sound. However, the DPT legal interpretation of "the limited parking period" is 9 am to 7 pm...the entire time period for which the sign is in effect.

So, two hours after you park in a two-hour zone, even if you park for only five minutes, you are not allowed to park on that block again for the rest of the day for the entire time period that the sign is enforceable (unless you have a Residential Parking Permit for that area).

Also, remember that DPT officers don't just chalk your tires anymore. They also enter your license plate into a handheld computer as being parked on that specific block at a specific time. When you check your tire and think your are okay because there is no chalk, they return and check their handheld, and if your car is still there anywhere on the block, you owe the City 65 smackeroos.

As Dylan said, "They'll stone you when you're trying to be so good. They'll stone you just like they said they would."

For more tips, secrets, and lesser-known but often cited parking violations, click here.